3 Tips for Avoiding Toddler Meltdowns

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#RitzFilledNotHangry #CollectiveBias

Piper turned 3 in October. I will be honest, I was dreading this birthday of hers. Mostly because every mom I know with a child older than two tells me that ages 3 and 4 are way worse than two years old could ever imagine being because of: toddler meltdowns. I appreciate their honesty, but I am also all about realistic expectations and plans of action.

That said, Pipers year of 2 was not anything near a cake-walk. She is a screamer. She is a midday meltdown queen and over the last year and a half has had me seriously contemplating an overnight check-in with the mental ward. Not to mention, Piper is child number two. I’ve had my fair share of meltdowns before she was even a thought, so I feel if you are a mom like myself, grasping at whatever you can to get your through the day with your hangry kid, you’ll find these tips useful!

Tip #1: Always see it coming. They are not overly complex little machines. They have complex feelings, yes. But they are not difficult to figure out. After about a month of Piper’s first relatively rough “phase” I sat myself down and tried to figure out what the common denominators were, and trust me, there were many. Try to figure out the triggers for your child. This does not mean walk on eggshells, this means recognize, and formulate a plan to get around and over those potential toddler meltdown makers.

Tip #2: A hungry person is an angry person. This I know from personal experience. When I’m hungry, I am the worst version of myself, just ask my husband. Forget threenager meltdowns, watch mom lose her mind because she skipped breakfast. I am all for knowing the night before what my kids are eating the next day. This doesn’t mean have it made, this just means have a general plan in place so that you aren’t scrambling. Piper is obsessed with these RITZ Cheese Filled Sandwich Crackers.

You can throw them in your purse for snacks on the go, or you can include them in an afternoon snack like I usually do. I love creating these little bento buffets for Piper. She’s an incredibly picky eater, so I stick to the things I know she will eat.

To make these:

Use whatever little container you have that has compartments, like the ice tray I used, and fill it with finger foods your toddler loves. For Piper it’s broccoli and dip, RITZ Cheese Filled Sandwich Crackers, or RITZ Peanut Butter Filled Sandwich Crackers, which are now available at Kroger stores, Apples (with no skin for the love of all that is holy) and whatever else we have hanging out around the house. Cut everything into bite sized pieces and watch your child calmly and quietly eat, and not meltdown, for at least 15 minutes!

I think she likes this way of eating because it gives her the illusion of control. Plus, everything you need to make something like this for your kids can be found at your local Kroger!

Tip #3: Learn yours and your kids limits, and don’t push them. It’s almost never worth it to push the boundaries of a growing and angry three year old. I’ve said it before in my post about outings with kids and I’ll say it again, no errand is worth the meltdown and what happens next for most of us. If your kid is a one stop and done type of person (much like myself), so be it. Why ruin an entire day over a trip to Kroger? Those are so much better alone anyway. At least for me, I love going to Kroger by myself and shopping at my own pace. It’s in my top 5 most relaxing things to do. Kroger is my favorite place to shop because it’s always organized, everything is fresh and the staff is helpful when I have questions about finding anything I need!

Tell me below, what kinds of things do you do to avoid midday meltdowns with your toddlers?